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for Success Preparing make sure that international students are ready for their first jobs in the U.S. market. Professional development programs at IIT Stuart T 40 September/October 2012 BizEd BY SUZANNE WEISS, ANA ROSSETTI, AND LUIGI PECORARO he numbers of international students studying business at U.S. schools are truly impressive—and continu- ally rising. In the past decade, inter- national enrollment at U.S. colleges and uni- versities has grown by 32 percent, according to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors report. Twenty-two percent of these international students, at both the under- graduate and graduate level, are studying busi- ness. Much of that growth was driven by a 23 percent increase in Chinese students, who constitute just over one-fifth of the total inter- national student population. While international study can be a powerful and defining experience for business students, it also offers them intense challenges. Many struggle to communicate in English, master classroom dynamics, and understand Western cultural mores. Academic institutions also face challenges integrating international students into the school population and helping them find jobs once they graduate. International Students ILLUSTRATION BY NEIL BRENNAN